There are approximately 45 million Americans with tattoos. That is a significant portion of the U.S. workforce. However, not all of those with tattoos bear ‘job-stopping’ ink.

Although ‘job-stopping tattoos’ are not quite mainstream yet, they are becoming more prevalent, according to some.

Anna Felicity Friedman, a scholar who runs the website Tattoo Historian, said that starting in the 1990s, it became common to see athletes and celebrities with tattoos. Soon, reality TV shows (with titles like “Best Ink” and “Tattoo Nightmares”) and magazines began covering tattoo culture, and Americans embraced body art like never before.

Tattoos, as a result, began losing their renegade status. Hence the creep upward, past the neckline.

A recent study “regarding patients’ perceptions of physicians with exposed body art” found that patients “did not perceive a difference in physician competence, professionalism, caring, approachability, trustworthiness or reliability in the setting of exposed body art.”

Although tats are moving into more mainstream occupations, that does not mean that all employers are ready for it.

One job seeker featured in the New York Post claimed that his neck tattoo had cost

“There’s definitely a stigma attached which there shouldn’t be,” stated Joe Parsons, the the tatted job seeker who claims he’s been turned down for jobs because of his neck tattoo. “I do think it’s a form of discrimination.”

Job seeker Joe Parsons’ neck tattoo. Image source: New York Post

Another question to be asked: If you are ‘okay’ with formerly-job stopping tattoos in your organization, is it by degree?

For example, are you okay with a small facial tattoo, but not a full-facial tattoo?

This brings us back to our opening question: Let’s say you have two job candidates applying for a job in your company and one was more qualified than the other, but sported a ‘job stopper,’ which one would you hire?

Do you hire the more qualified job seeker, or do you judge a book by its cover?

In a tight labor market, it’s a question you might want to answer for yourself before you’re ‘faced’ (pun intended) with the situation.

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